Life is a Highway
by Shini02
Summary: A collection of five drabbles written in response to a music meme on LJ. Various genres, characters and pairings.
1. Weird Science — Karbunkle

**Dislcaimer:** I wished I owned BMFM, but I sadly don't. Woe is me.

**Meme Rules:**

_1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.  
__2. Put iTunes or equivalent media player on random.  
__3. For each song that plays, write something related to the theme you picked inspired by the song. You have only the time frame of the song: no planning beforehand: you start when it starts, and no lingering afterward; once the song is over, you stop writing. (No fair skipping songs either; you have to take what comes by chance!)  
__4. Do five of these, then post._

* * *

**Weird Science**

Of all the captured Martians, he favors three in particular. They are clearly the strongest, most versatile Freedom Fighters the planet has to offer, and they are beautiful, beautiful specimens, if he does say so himself.

He starts with the big one, prying at his shattered, useless limb. It will have to go, so he removes it, leaving muscle bare and nerves twitching and bone gleaming. The procedure that follows is delicate, so he is careful while aligning metal with the mouse's skeleton structure, embedding mechanics into the muscle and attaching circuitry to the nerves.

Then he moves on to the tan one. He removes the sunglasses and pries open an eye. The Martian is blind, and he could more than likely repair the damage with lasers and careful surgery, but he has a far, far better idea for this one. Using clamps to hold open the eyes, the doctor takes a scalpel to them, taking care to cut in all the right places. It would be disaster if he damaged the nerves, after all. The eyes are tossed into the trash and replaced with ones of a better make.

The white one, he isn't quite sure what to do with yet. Of the three, he has sustained the least damage. His face is burned, scarred beyond repair, and the simplest way to deal with this would be to create a mask of some sort. He supposes this will do, it's just a matter of the right metal, the right shape – he will get back to this one later, for now his attention has been brought to another, one he has overlooked.

And he knows just what to do with the General. A mind, after all, is a terrible thing to waste.


	2. Epiphany — Harley

**Epiphany**

It comes as a surprise, the sudden bout of hatred surging through her as she's left alone in the red sand.

She remembers her short-lived joy being crushed under the weight of the rat's arms, and she remembers the way he just stood there, gaping dumbly as those horrible words were hissed right next to her ear:

"Here's a nightmare to remember me by."

Apparently, some are able to overcome nightmares easier than others, because they're gone and she's here, alone, and something dark and ugly is growing inside of her.

This, she thinks as she stands, trembling inside and out, this is what villains are made of.


	3. Break Stuff — Vinnie

**Break Stuff**

He's never been particularly prone to fits of violence and he's usually able to keep his temper under control, but the slate is wiped clean the moment he looks into the rear view mirror.

The bandages cover half his face, and he can feel them sticking to something underneath – mangled flesh and puss and sweat. He doesn't need to look to know what's hidden is hideous and permanent damage, that he'll never be the same because of it.

Before he can give it a second thought, his fist comes up and then comes down and the neck of the mirror snaps, sending it flying through the air to shatter on the cave floor.

He'll never be able to face himself again.


	4. Somewhere Out There — Charley

**Somewhere Out There**

Vinnie had meant it when he said returning to Mars in the long run was what they'd always planned to do, and that was eventually exactly what they did.

She misses them more than she thought she would have, and more than she probably should. The city is quiet without them, boring to a mind-numbing degree, and she hates it. She misses the excitement they brought to her life, but when the dull ache in her chest becomes just a little too strong, too uncomfortable, she takes comfort in knowing all she has to do is look up.

They're somewhere out there, and she believes that someday they'll cross paths again.

But until then, she'll keep looking skyward


	5. Right Here Waiting — Throttle x Carbine

**Right Here Waiting**

She stares at the blue planet glimmering in the distance, a wistful smile on her usually hardened features. She thinks she must be crazy to have let him go again so soon after he'd finally made his way back home, but it's her duty and his as soldiers to be where they're needed most.

Mars needs her, and as much as she would like to think that the planet needs him, too, it doesn't.

Earth needs him and the others now more than ever, and if letting him go to another planet for an unclear amount of time means saving it from the fate Mars suffer, then so be it.

She'll wait patiently for his return, however long that may take, because she knows in her heart that he will be back.


End file.
